STAMFORD -- The city's school district was awarded a $2.8 million state grant to continue after-school programs, special help during class time and staff development aimed at equalizing student achievement.

Called the Alliance District program, the state has been giving extra funding to "chronically struggling school districts" for three years to help close achievement gaps between students of different races, income levels, languages and special needs. This is the third year in a row Stamford has received a grant.

Stamford got a $771,000 bump in funds compared to a year ago, reflecting confidence in the district's approach to closing the achievement gap, according to Stamford Superintendent Winifred Hamilton.

"The reality is, I think, we continue to show we've used the funds very well," Hamilton said.

She said the district has used its money to invest in summer school programs, including pre-kindergarten literacy and creating better evaluations that allow teachers and administrators to review what's effective and what's not.

The Alliance District designation has rankled Stamford over the years, with school officials defending the district's record, citing improving graduation rates and high achievement on advanced placement tests. But the district accepts the money anyway, while noting that the state doesn't give nearly as much support to Stamford students with its Education Cost Sharing funds as it does other cities such as Bridgeport, New Haven and Hartford.

The state sees the Alliance District grant as both a way to provide much needed funding for districts like Stamford, but also a way to hold them accountable.

Stamford has historically had sizeable gaps between the standardized test scores of white and Asian students, compared to black and Hispanic students. There are also disparities between rich and poor and those who do not speak English as their first language in Stamford. However, graduation rates have been improving along racial lines in the city. The graduation rates for black and Hispanic students both topped 80 percent for 2012/2013 school year. More than 87 percent of black students graduated in 2013, up from 81 percent the year before, while Hispanic students also saw significant gains with 81 percent graduating in 2013 compared to 75.5 percent in 2012. Well over 90 percent of white and Asian students graduated in both years. Figures for the most recent school year have not been released.

"With this additional funding, districts are doing everything from focusing on early literacy to adding full-day kindergarten," Governor Dannel Malloy said in a press release. "It's a huge step forward, one that is led at local level to the benefit of every child in that district."

Hamilton, however, said a real issue for Stamford remains a lack of funding by the state here.

"If you look at Bridgeport, their formula gave them an additional $14 million and $12 million to Hartford and New Haven," she said, noting that Stamford will soon be the second largest city in the state, with the same issues that Hartford and Bridgeport face. The city has a growing number of students who are poor, or don't speak English well, or have special needs.